- FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN PLUS
- FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN FREE
- FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN MAC
- FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN WINDOWS
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN FREE
The Focusrite interfaces sound better than the Avid Fast Track Solo that I first started recording with, and the iRig UA that I just got last week for the free Amplitube 4 deluxe deal. To my ears, recording DI guitar sounds exactly the same between the 1st gen 2i4 and 2nd gen 2i2. Focusrite likes to point out their award-winning mic preamps but that could’ve been from 20 years ago for all we know…Īll I can do is compare the Scarlett 2i2 with the other audio interfaces that I have. To my ears the Focusrite Scarlett interfaces sound great-they are very clear with no noise-but I don’t have access to a bunch of different audio interfaces so I can’t say how the Scarlett devices stack up. I always had to use the lowest buffer setting on the 1st gen 2i4 because there was way too much latency at higher settings. Lower latency also helps out with overall CPU usage because you can use higher buffer settings without having to sacrifice as much latency like on the 1st gen models.
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN MAC
Focusrite claims it can get down to 2.74ms at 96kHz/32 samples on a Mac Pro. You can even get it down lower around 3 ms at 96 kHz and up.
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN PLUS
Plus with the added support of higher rates you can drop it down to a setting of 48kHz/32 to get 5.17 ms of latency, almost half that of the highest setting on the first gen model. On the 2nd gen 2i2 at the same 48kHz/64 setting it has 7.79 ms of latency, so that’s a pretty big improvement. At 96 kHz it can get down to 9.5 ms but it’s like double the CPU hit. At that setting on the 1st gen 2i4 it has 12.4 ms of latency-and that’s the lowest it will go at 48 kHz. I often use a setting of 48 kHz and 64 samples for recording DI guitars.
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 2I2 2ND GEN WINDOWS
I already posted the latency comparison numbers for Windows so I won’t rehash them again here, but I will give a usage example. The biggest change with the 2nd gen Scarlett interfaces is lower latency and increased sample rates. Overall the Scarlett 2i2 has nice hardware, the knobs and connectors don’t feel cheap, and the red aluminum casing is rock solid.ĭetailed tech specs for the Scarlett 2i2 can be found on the Focusrite website.
![focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/428AAOSwIf1hO5I3/s-l1600.jpg)
There’s also a 48V phantom power switch for mics that need power and a direct monitor switch for monitoring without latency. Like the 1st gen model, the 2i2 has LED lights around the gain knobs to indicate when the signal in clipping and when it’s in the green (it also shows orange just before clipping). The 2nd gen models also add darker indicator lines to the gain, monitor and headphone knobs-a minor change but I like how it makes it easier to see the levels. Other hardware upgrades with the 2nd gen models includes added surge protection circuits to the inputs and outputs, and updated converters that support up to 192 kHz sampling at 24-bit. I have a guitar with active Seymour Duncan Blackouts and it indeed works well without clipping. This remedies the clipping problems of the 1st gen 2i2 and Solo models. One of the main upgrades with the 2nd gen 2i2 is the 8dB increased headroom added to the instrument inputs for hot pickups. If you have a separate DI box in front or something else with a Hi-Z input you set it to line.
![focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--lpHTgSgU--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1464721044/nxroorrajbqueuukmqu5.jpg)
To get the best sound with DI (direct input) guitars you need to set it to instrument and line for mics. The 2i2 also has a 1/4″ headphone jack on the front with its own separate volume dial.īoth inputs have the option to switch between line and instrument. The 2i2 doesn’t have any MIDI or SPDIF inputs/outputs it’s a basic interface with 2 balanced outputs for connecting 1/4″ TRS cables to speakers.
![focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen](https://insideaudio.net/image/4PhOsPUsY4JoBGnYpvi1rz_QS6I=/1200x450/filters:max_bytes(102400):strip_icc():strip_exif():fill(white)/blogs/2i2vs2i2-20180311-1110.png)
With two inputs you can record two mics or two instruments at the same time, or one mic and one instrument. The inputs are combo jacks that can accept both XLR microphone cables and 1/4″ instrument cables. HardwareĪs the name implies, the 2i2 has two inputs and two outputs. I wanted to try out the 2nd gen 2i2 since Focusrite managed to lower the overall latency considerably.įeel free to ask any questions in the comments section. It has turned out to be very reliable and it works great but the only thing I don’t like is the latency. I’ve been using a 1st gen Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 for the past 5 months.